Electrical fuse.



A. WEST. ELECTRICAL FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 4,1909. Oct 18,

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A. WEST. BLBUTBIOLL FUSE. APPLIOHIOIITILBD mm. 4, 1900-.

Patented Oct. 18,1910;

2 SHEETS-BEBE! 8 ALLEN WEST, OF WESTMINSTER, LGNDON, ENGLAND.

ELECTRICAL FUSE.

Application filed December 4, 1909.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

Serial No. 531,354.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ai'iLnN \Vnsr, electrical engineer, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 4-7 Victoria street, in the city of Vvestininster, county of London, Eng land, have lIlVGIltUL'l new and useful Iniproveniei'its in Electrical Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lI'HI'JI'OYOD'IBIll-S in electrical fuses, and has for its object to provide a fuse whose body or fuse carrier is made from the usual insulating material in one piece, to support contact checks without the use of cement, and to lit these metal contact cheeks into the insulated body in a manner that insures flexible and total surface con tact with the fuse clips besides simplifying the construction of such appliances. Hitherto it has been custonniry to manufacture such fuse carriers with brass ends which are usually cemented to the porcelain and which renders the ends liable to become loose.

l\Iy improvements are carried outas follows:-The fuse carrier is formed in one piece with porcelain, ebonite or other suitable insulating material, and is shaped to have a hollow cavity at either end. These hollow ends are provided with recesses preferably circular in shape, capable ofaccommodating contact checks that preferably have'coned or inclined edges and which are arranged with springs or a link motion tending to press them outward. These cheeksin each hollow end are in electrical connection with each other and are both provided with terminals. The fuse chamber is straight and Open at both top and bottom the hollow ends being disposed preferably at right angles to the fuse chamber, and the terminals on said contact pieces arranged that the fuse may be inserted and easily led into the fuse chamber.

In order the better to describe this invention reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l. is an elevation. Fig. 2. is a plan. Fig. 3. is a sectional elevation. Fig. 4. shows a modification.

In the drawings 1 is the fuse body or carricr made of the usual insulating material all in one piece with the contact cheek lugs l at the top and bottom as shown. These lugs 1" are-hollow and have recesses formed within them preferably" circular in shape for the purpose of accommodating contact checks 2. These checks 2 are also hollow or of cup section and may be made cone shape to prevent them passing through the recesses in the lug or are formed with a flange 3. Between opposed contact checks at both top and bottom an expansive spring {t is disposed adapted to press the contact cheeks outward into contact with the clips 5. The flanges 3 of the contact checks 2 have terminals (i on either side at both top and bottom, both the checks at either end being in electrical connection the one with the other. The fuse chamber proper 7 is straight. from end to end and open at top and bottom, it may be suitably lined as shown at 8 and may be externally provided with a hand grip portion 9 and knuckle guard 10.

The operation of my invention is as followsz The body 1, checks 2, and springs 4, are assembled to form the fuse carrier by slipping the cheeks into position the one after the other at either end and then springing the spring 4 into place. In order to keep the terminals upright and in alinement during this operation I may provide a groove or key in the recesses of the lugs and a corresponding key or groove in the contact check, but in practice this is seldom if ever necessary. The fuse is inserted through one of the cheek terminals, led through the central cavity, and secured to the lower contact cheek terminal. It is now ready for insertion in the fuse clips as shown in Fig. 2, which latter are best as machined castings.

In Fig. 4:. is shown a single contact fuse carrier in which the contact cheek 2 is coned as at 3 and adapted to be pressed by the spring 4 into engagement with the contact clip 5. The spring sits within a small recess 1 in the lug 1 and the terminal 6 is reached through the aperture 1 in the fuse body 1.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the fuse chamber is free to allow volatilized metallic fumes to escape at both top and bottom, while the fuse carrier is not only self alining but automatically makes good contact between the clips and the checks, the whole being embodied in a comact and economical construction. Further it will be observed that no live part is exposed when the fuse carrier is in place.

By fitting the fuse carrier described with a handle and pivoting the latter a very simple form of switch or switch fuse is devised.

I claim 1.. A fuse carrier for electrical purposes formed with side lugs at the top and bottom from insulating material all in one piece, and having a contact check or cheeks disposed within the lugs, and with a spring adapted to press same outward and means for limiting their outward travel substantially as hereinbefore described.

2. -A fuse carrier, comprising a body portion formed of insulating material and provided with a contact chamber at one end having an opening, a contact cheek arranged in the said chamber, and means for pressing 

